


Everyone's Fighting A Battle

by TristanIsGay



Series: S.E.I.J [13]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Bullying, Depression, Eating Disorders, Homophobia, Immigration & Emigration, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Racism, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Harm, Trans Yuri Plisetsky, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-16 06:13:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11247972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TristanIsGay/pseuds/TristanIsGay
Summary: The school system isn't made perfect. This can cause stress in our youth. This shows with our 5 teenagers. The school and the people in it slowly broke them. They all have to deal with their battles while trying to help each other through it.





	1. Yuri and Chris Meet

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have very mature themes like bad mental health issues, suicide, self-harm, and the damage that school system brings to our youth. Also, keep in mind I am projecting myself into almost every character. If something doesn't fit right in your mindset then try to remember that most of these feelings are coming straight from my head.
> 
> Though I am also writing about eating disorders and a trans male character, which I don't have the experience to write about. If I get something wrong there please tell me. I'm doing research so I can make this as realistic as I can. 
> 
> Thank you, and enjoy the story. 
> 
> Side note: Every now and then Yuuri will be shown speaking to his family in Japanese so please correct that if it's wrong as well.

Yuuri took a deep breath as he slipped on his long sleeved sweater. Thankfully, it was winter. Nobody questioned his wardrobe when it was cold. It's when summer came by that he had to find a good excuse. Usually, he would say that he had a condition that made him feel cold constantly and if the person was close enough he'd tell them he was just insecure about his arms. Which wasn't really a lie. He was. Yet he was insecure about everything. People tended to believe him. They were so naive. Yet with some Yuuri could tell they knew. They gave him this look after staring at his arm for a moment. No one said anything. He couldn't tell if he was glad that no one mentioned it. Or if he felt even more anxious than usual after. 

His anxiety only got worse after moving to America. He understood why his family had to. He wasn't bitter towards them. They were oblivious to everything really. Yuuri had worsening anxious feelings since school started. There was a pressure he felt on his shoulders to be perfect. Kids that were the best got rewards. He remembered a journal entry he wrote when he was in 3rd grade.

_Is it that bad that I'm not very good at math? Every boy and girl that can, gets a present on a stage. Why don't I get presents? I can draw a dog now! My art teacher said she was proud and my mama and daddy did too. But the I never get anything from it. Maybe I'm just not good enough. I'll get there. Maybe._

It made Yuuri sad to think he was suffering when he was so young. He can still feel what it was like to have his first panic attack. When he was in 3rd grade. He got his first F on a test. The boy thought his life was over. He remembered him writing in his journal ' _good boys and girls get presents, what do bad boys and girls get_ ' with tears running down his face and his chest so tight he had trouble breathing. He thought he was going to die in the school bathroom. After calming down he was still worrying about what the teachers would do to him. What his parents would do. He got scolded by a teacher and punished. His parents were angry but tried to help him for next test. Math was never his strong suit. It still isn't. Yet that panic still occurs with anything under a low B. 

"Yuuri!" His mother called, pulling him out of thought. ( **Warning I do not know Japanese. So I'm getting this off of a translator. Correct me if you know Japanese. Cause I know it's wrong.)**

"Hai?" **(Yes?)** He called out.

"Chōshoku o tabe ni kuru!" **(Come to eat breakfast)**

Yuuri grabbed his school bag and threw it over his shoulder. He quickly walked to the kitchen. 

.

A long sigh came from Yuuri as he walked into school. He had been in this school for about a week now. He started about 3 months into the school year. It didn't take but a day to realize the school wasn't diverse at all. That didn't bother him until he was pushed into a locker and told "Open your fucking eyes up. I bet you can't see me from squinting so hard." Yuuri just lets it happen. There was no reason to fight back. He was quite strong but his anxiety that ran through his thoughts made him shake. He knew fighting back would just lead to more. The first day of school left him with no new scars but the few that already existed were reopened on impact. At least he was wearing black. The walk home was painful in more than just a physical way. 

Today was no different than the past week. Being thrown into a few lockers and uncreative insults and slurs thrown and spat in his face. He just took it all. He knew this would give him more than just a few open scars. There was a female in the group of racist bullies today. She was more brutal. Not afraid to leave marks and throw punches, while the males liked to throw him around and yell. Yuuri was left with a scar on his cheek, it slowly seeped blood down his cheek. It felt like years, but eventually, the group walked away, leaving Yuuri on the ground lifeless. He sighed and closed his eyes. It was silent. Comfortably silent. It let a bit of calm run through him. The cold tile eased his bruised back. His head was spinning and his cheek was burning but at that moment he felt too weak to get up. 

"Are you awake?" A voice with a thick accent said, startling him. He jumped up and winced at the sudden pain that shot through his back. "Hey, hey, calm down. It's alright." He said. Yuuri felt oddly soothed by his accent. It was soft and thick. Something about it was nice. He turned slowly to see who was there. A boy kneeled down. He had blonde hair that messily laid over his forehead. His eyes were a deep green and his eyelashes were long and thick, giving him a slightly feminine appearance. He was quite skinny. Skinner than he probably should be. He had a bit of facial hair but it all wasn't fully grown. Which was typical for teenagers. By the accent and his appearance, Yuuri would guess he was Swiss. He wasn't completely sure though. 

"I didn't mean to startle you. I heard some slurs from outside the class and wanted to see if you were alright." He said. From the few visible scars, Yuuri knew he was beaten many times before hand. "I'm Christophe. Call me Chris if you want. Many friends do." The word _Friends_ hit him. He was surprised he has friends here. Since he had yet to meet a person that wasn't racist.

"I'm Yuuri." He said and forced a slight smile.

"Let's go to the restroom. I have a few things to help with those scars."

Chris took his hand and helped him up. The boy winced. He avoided the hurting boy's back. Realizing he had been throw into the locker. Chris helped Yuuri walk to the bathroom. The two went into a stall and Chris set Yuuri down. He locked to stall door and sat with him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. Yuuri looked a bit confused. 

"Y-you just keep those around?" He asked. Chris chuckled a bit and nodded.

"Yes. You learn after getting beaten many times. My friends get beat up as well, so we all keep a small bottle of alcohol, cotton balls, and band-aids. It's very useful at a place like this." He responded and poured a bit onto the cotton ball. "This may sting."

"I'm used to it." He said. Chris froze for a moment. Taking in his words. He looked at his arm and noticed the long sleeves. He nodded in understanding. Someone in his friend group self-harmed as well. Though, Chris had just met Yuuri so he wasn't going to ask anything until later. Chris began to clean the wound on Yuuri's face. 

"So are all of your friend's Immigrants, or just, of another race?" Yuuri asked. "I assume since you said all of you...carry that around." Yuuri's voice was cautious. Chris heard the anxiety coming from him. 

" All the ones in the school actually." 

"Oh...How many are there?"

"Including me, 5. Including you, 6." Chris informed as he placed a band-aid over his cut. Yuuri went silent for a moment. Chris wondered what was running through his mind. He was probably processing the fact that he was such a minority but he might have been processing the fact that he wasn't alone in his struggle. There was no way to be sure. 

"How do you survive here," Yuuri said after a moment of silence. 

"Together. We stick together. Help each other." He said. "We all are facing our own battles. It's impossible to face it alone." And with that Yuuri fell silent. That's when Chris knew he had been alone for as long as he could remember. Whether it was literally or mentally. His silence screamed a thousand words. 

After a few minutes of Yuuri relaxing and regaining his energy, Chris helped him back up. 

"When It's time for lunch come here. Wait for me. I'll take you to where we eat. Trust me when I say you do not want to eat in the lunch room." 

Yuuri nodded and Chris smiled at him. On that note, he walked back to class. 

Yuuri sighed and slowly limped on. He was happy to know he wasn't alone. Yet he had never felt like more of a minority. 


	2. Meeting Everyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri meets the rest of the group and they get to know each other a bit.

Yuuri quickly walked to the bathroom. He made sure to lock the stall door. The sound coming from the hall was loud and made his head throb. He sighed as he leaned on the bathroom wall. The voices screamed in his head. Telling him not to trust Chris. Who knows where Chris would take him. He could be one of those bigot bullies as well. Though his thoughts weren't very practical since Chris was pretty obviously not white. Since this is a very unaccepting school it would be pretty hypocritical if he treated Yuuri in a harmful way. Plus he had the scars to show he wasn't new to getting beaten. Though, anxiety doesn't care about logic. 

Chris was right. About eating in the lunch room. If you weren't a part of a clique then you don't get treated very well. He spent an hour in the shower trying to get out all the food that latched to his hair. As well as he had to get rid of the clothes he was wearing. That day he made a note to himself not to ever wear white. So it wasn't new information that he wasn't safe in the lunch room. He felt as if he should feel comforted by the fact that Chris was taking him to eat somewhere else but the anxiety ate him up inside. 

He rubbed his eyes and pulled up his sleeves. He winced as the sweater dragged over his open wound. He mumbled a few curses at the sting. He sighed in relief when it was only a few re-opened cuts. Not very deep either. He reached down and pulled off some toilet paper. He very gently wiped off the blood before beginning to wrap his arms. He knew they wouldn't stay well but it would soak the blood fairly well. He pulled his sleeves over his wrapped arms carefully and leaned back on the wall. He waited to hear Chris's voice. 

His thoughts drifted off. He started comparing U.S schooling to Japanese schooling. Both were flawed in their own ways. Japan made your main focus school. American schools did as well but in a different way. At least American schools have extra curricular's. Yet it's more to make the illusion of freedom. They offer it to you. Yet they make it such a hard thing to keep up with that it all becomes useless in the end. At least Japan is more straight forward about them wanting to take over your life. Yet Japan has the most depression and anxiety rates for children in schools so it seems the illusion helps. Only few can see that all it's doing is adding another burden that they won't give you time to tend to. Yuuri didn't oppose extra curricular's. Even with that, he would never enter one. Not at this school at least. He probably wouldn't even be let in. Maybe that was for the better. 

"Yuuri." The voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He took a breath and pushed himself off the wall. His pains ached and he bit his lip to suppress a whimper. He forced himself to walk forward and open the stall door. Chris stood there with a happy smile. Yet Yuuri had a feeling it was being forced. 

"Do you have a lunch?" Chris asked. Yuuri thought for a second. He nodded when he remembered placing it in his locker. The two walked to Yuuri's locker and took his lunch box out. Then they were off. 

Chris led the way. He leads Yuuri to a staircase that he hadn't seen when he was exploring the halls. Most likely because it was painted the same color as the wall. Yet it wasn't locked. He tried to think why that would even exist. If they didn't want a door there then couldn't it be removed? Yuuri tried not to think too much of it and tried to be thankful he had a place to eat in peace. At least he really hoped it was in peace. Soon after there was another door. Not hidden this time. When he opened it light hit his face and stung his eyes. Yuuri squinted and put his hand over his eyes. It was fairly dark in the stairwell so the sudden light wasn't friendly on his eyes. Chris chuckled an apology and pulled him into the room. 

Yuuri's eyes soon adjusted to the light. Once his vision returned he saw 4 people sat on the floor, heads turned and looks of confusion on their faces. Yuuri felt his heart beat pick up. He probably should have told Chris he's not good around groups of people. He took a breath. His mouth went dry as he tried to form words. He didn't focus much on appearance as he was still trying to gain control of his feelings.

"Who are you." A sharp voice said. Yuuri's heart beat quickened. The boy who said it had blonde hair in a bob haircut. That was the only feature he could get himself to identify. Yuuri stepped back a bit. He didn't know what to say. He quickly turned and tried to make his way to the door, but Chris grabbed his hand. 

"Everyone this is Yuuri. He's a new student. I helped him after he got beaten up." Chris said. Yuuri felt odd and vulnerable being introduced that way. The first impression of him was an anxiety ridden kid that got beaten up in his first week of being there. Yet that seemed to make the blonde boy ease up a bit. 

The boy that sat to the right of the blonde stood up. Yuuri's heart began to pump again and he ran behind Chris. He felt pathetic. Yet he had done this since childhood. Hiding behind his parent's leg when a guest was there. He wondered what made him trust Chris this way. He only hid behind someone if he felt safe with them. Maybe it's because Chris helped him or his nature just soothed him. Yuuri wasn't sure what he was running from. Maybe he was so used to being beaten up already he was scared of being approached. 

"Hey. Hey. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." The boy's voice showed he was Russian. He hated being talked to this way. Made him feel like a toddler. Yet he couldn't blame the Russian boy. He sure felt like he was acting like one. "We're all here for the same reason you are. To feel safe. There's no reason to feel scared with us." 

Yuuri peered over Chris. He saw a tall teenager with long silver hair and blue eyes. He seemed very thin and fit. He was wearing a gray sweater that fit him well and pant's that outlined his toned legs. His hair seemed to go down to his hips. He had a feminine look to him but he seemed to flaunt that part of it. Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up a bit. The boy in front of him was quite attractive, he felt like a troll in comparison. 

"I'm Victor." He said with a smile. A Russian accent glossed over his words. "I've gone here for 2 years. The rest of us have been here for 1 year. Now be nice and introduce yourself's" Victor said, directing his attention to the rest of the group. The blonde sighed and looked directly at Yuuri.

"I'm Yuri. They all call me Yurio" He said. So the two shared the same name. Which was interesting since his accent showed he was also Russian. His blonde hair ended about an inch under his jawline. He had fringe directed to his left side which slightly covered up his eye. His eyes were a light green color. Along with the three other, he seemed quite feminine. An androgynous look. He wondered if he was trans. It didn't matter but it made him feel bad for Yuri. Since that was just another thing to be bullied for. Alongside being Russian. 

"I'm Phitchit, nice to meet you!" Another said with a cheery voice. His accent was only slightly there so he couldn't determine straight away where he was from. He had dark skin and black hair that was shaggy and hung over his forehead. His eyes were a dark green color. He was smiling. His smile was a bit contagious. Yuuri felt himself grin. Something about that smile made him want to smile as well. "I made him smile!" He said happily. Yuuri chuckled a bit. He felt his anxiety ease a bit. They all seemed like nice people. 

"You have a very cute smile," Victor said with a grin. Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up. Victor chuckled at his reaction. 

"I'm Otabek." The last one of the group said. He looked straight at Yuuri. Otabek was stoned faced. Which threw Yuuri a bit off guard. He was definitely the most masculine in the group. He had black hair in an undercut style that was pushed out of his face. His eyes were dark brown. He seemed to have a very dark color scheme in his clothes. His arm was around Yurio's waist. He then noticed the small blush on Yurio's cheeks. 

"H-hi. It's nice to meet all of you." He said and stepped out from behind Chris. Chris smiled at him and patted his shoulder. The two eventually sat down. 

Yuuri noticed Chris didn't have lunch. He tilted his head as everyone else ate. 

"Chris, do you not have lunch?" Yuuri asked. Everyone paused. Suddenly the smiles and stone faces were all turned to worried expressions. 

"He didn't eat before he came down here?" Victor asked, looking at Yuuri. Yuuri shook his head. He noticed Chris looking down at his lap. 

"Chris," Yurio said sternly. "I know it's hard but you have to eat something. You could die if you don't."

It clicked then. He knew why Chris was so skinny. He was most likely Anorexic. Yuuri immediately reached into his lunch bag and pulled out an apple. 

"Here." Yuuri reached out to Chris and everyone paused. "I know it's not much and you might feel a bit uncomfortable eating in front of someone you don't know but I do care about your health. So, please. At least eat this for us." 

Yuuri was good with these kinds of things. Emotional support was what he was best at. Being that he was a sentimental person. Everyone seemed a bit shocked. He wasn't sure if that was because he was new and already showing that he cared for someone in need. Or if it was that the anxiety he showed at first made him think he was shy to that. 

Chris gulped and took the apple into his hand. "I-..." He paused. "Thank you, Yuuri." He said with a weak smile before taking a bite of the apple. Yuuri smiled and rubbed his back as he ate. Chris seemed to be soothed by physical touch so he did his best. 

Everyone just looked shocked. They were all staring at him. Which made him more nervous. Yet he held it together. 

"I'm so proud of you," Yuuri said softly once Chris finished what he could. 

Everyone knew then Yuuri was a good addition to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, chapter two.  
> btw the random ass stairwell will be explained later!  
> Follow me on Tumblr for more stories and updates: @ultraprocrastingwriter


	3. Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> Graphic cutting  
> Graphic violence

_"Jump you, coward!"_

_"Please, no. You're so young!"_

_"One more day. Just one more day. You can do that right"_

_"Just do it!"_

_Yuuri sighed. All the people's voices echoed. One more day. He always said that. But isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing and expecting different results._

_So he did something different._

_He went dead weight and let his body collapse down the railing. He felt the wind rush against him._

_"No!"_

-

Yuuri shot up, his breathing heavy and shaking. He looked around and felt the sheets on the bed, trying to get a grip on reality. After a minute he realized it was just a dream. He let out a long sigh and his heart rate soon slowed down. He looked at the clock.

3:14

"Of course," He sighed. Yuuri pushed off the blanket away from his body and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He reached over and turned the lamp on, causing his eyes to burn for a moment. He felt heavy. His hands were shaky. He shivered as he pressed his feet to the hardwood floor and pushed himself up so he was standing. The air in the room was cold and bit at his skin. He slipped on a bigger sweater that was far too big for him. 

He kneeled down and looked under his bed. He squinted as he searched for the box since his eyes were still adjusting to the light. He reached out and pulled it from under the bed once he got sight of it, brushing the little dust that was found on the top. 

Yuuri sat down on the cold floor and set the box in his lap. He opened up to reveal a razor and a few bandages. He sighed. He hated the fact that pain is what he resorted to in order to get his feelings out. But it seemed to be the only thing that worked. He bit his lip as he pulled up the sleeve of his sweater. He took the razor between his pointer finger and thumb before pressing it into his already damaged skin. His skin screamed with pain as the blade ripped open his skin and blood began to seep through the torn skin. Yuuri winced slightly but not much reaction came after. The pain had become a part of him by now. For a moment Yuuri forgot. The heaviness went away as he focused on the physical pain running through his arm. 

-

"Fishhead!" She said and laughed as her legs swept under Yuuri's legs. His face hit the ground and he felt a foot press into his bruised back. Yuuri whimpered and bit hard onto his lip. 

"Oh, yellow boy's whining." A male said. " So weak." He said before kicking the back of his head. His forehead made a thud noise against the tile. 

"I almost feel bad for the Chinaman." The girl laughed, "but, it's so fun to see him in pain." She said before yanking at his hair. Yuuri felt tears in his eyes. This was the most violent they'd been with him. His back was aching and he knew he was going to have bruises littered on his face. Yuuri felt like his vision was fuzzy. It took him a moment to realize the female had taken his glasses. "Now he can't see." She laughed as he heard the breaking of glass.  

Yuuri endured a few more hits and kicks before they left him alone. Yuuri lied there for a few minutes before looking around for something to help him up. He was near a stairwell so there were stair railings that he could use. He weakly reached up and grabbed onto the rail, pulling himself up with the little strength he could gather. He cried out as he felt pain shoot through him. He panted heavily and looked around, trying his best to make his way around with no glasses. He saw something blue on the floor and reached to pick it up. It was his glasses. Though severely cracked they are still was some glass that remained in the frames. He put them on, seeing slightly better. He shuffled through the hall till he found the door to the room they ate lunch in. He slowly limped down the stairs and made his way into the room. He laid himself on the floor and closed his eyes. He was in too much pain to sleep but he knew he couldn't sit in class without breaking into tears.

-

"What do you guys think of Yuuri?" Chris asked as the group of 5 walked down the stairs. 

"He seems quite nice. Behind the anxiety, he would probably be a really good friend once we got to know him." Phichit smiled. 

"We don't need to Yu- ow Beka what the hell." Otabek just looked at him sternly. Yuri bit his lip and sighed. "Fine...I guess he's not...that bad." 

Victor hummed at the thought of Yuuri. the beautiful black hair and cute smile. Victor smiled and sighed. "I think he's just lovely." He said brightly. "He's quite cute." 

"Don't go falling in love so quick," Yuri said and glared at Victor. "Who knows what that kid is like. he could be a total ass for all we know." 

Victor hummed "well you didn't seem to think that way when Beka joined the group."

"Get along Children." Chris chuckled. "Let's give Yuuri a chance before we judge him. Or hit on him." Chris said, looking at Yuri and Victor. 

Victor grinned. He thought about hitting on Yuuri. What he could say. He could say a lot. There was so much to like about him and he barely knew him. Yuuri would be so cute reacting to compliment. He would get super flustered and stutter. Cute as hell in victor's book. 

"Victor's fantasizing," Yuri said with an eye-roll. 

Chris just shook his head with a chuckle. He hummed as he opened the door. Everyone paused for a moment when they saw a lifeless Yuuri laying on the floor. 

"Yuuri!" Victor said as he ran over to him. The others following suit. Victor gently slipped his arms under Yuuri and propped him up. He let out a breath of relief when he saw his chest rising as he breathed. "He's breathing."

"Yuuri. Are you awake? Can you hear me?" Chris said. 

Yuuri stirred and his eyes fluttered open. "Chris~"

"Oh thank god he's awake." Chris sighed out. Yuri shuffled with his bag and quickly pulled out some bandages and alcohol. Beka pulled an ice pack out of his lunchbox. Phitchit pulled off his shirt and wrapped the ice pack so it wasn't harsh on Yuuri's skin. Victor took off Yuuri's broken glasses and gently slipped up Yuuri's shirt to show his back. It was covered in bruises. Victor turned to Otabek and held his hand out for the icepack. He handed it to him and Victor gently pressed the icepack on his back. Yuuri seemed to relax a bit as the cold rested on his bruised back. Yuri took care of a few scars on his face before lifting up his sleeves to see scars all over them. A few new but many obviously reopened. Yuri cleaned Yuuri up and wrapped his arms. Chris pulled out a cold drink from his bag and held it up to Yuuri's eye that was in the process of bruising.

Yuuri felt everything was fuzzy. It was odd seeing a group of people rush to his aid. The sad part is they were so prepared that something like this had happened quite a bit before. Yuuri felt a bit overwhelmed. Just by everything. The hecticness of the say. He felt tears start to seep from his eyes and he let out a small little cry. He felt someone gently wrap their arms around hi,. It was so gently Yuuri could barley feel it. 

"It's okay." Victor said. "you're safe with us."

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for story updates and more!  
> Ultraprocrastinatingwriter


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